I'm lucky to have a talented husband who's also lucky enough to have his own sawmill and woodworking workshop, so he set about it, using windfall timber from our newly purchased woodland. In my mind's eye, I could see ourselves hanging out at a cute little cabin but as much as I love nature and the great outdoors, I'm not a 'pee in the woods' type of girl, so I made it clear that it would have to have modern conveniences!! The problem (as we saw it at the time) was it's lack of an electricity supply. To lay on a new supply was not affordable or feasible, and so began our adventure into the world of alternative energy and, after many a trial & error, Bob came up with many ingenious solutions that make our cabin the warm, cosy, functioning little home it is today.

Of course we ourselves were delighted with the result but when friends suggested we could rent the cabin I was sceptical. Would anyone (apart from us) even contemplate life without TV, computers, electric light? We decided to set up a website, www.covertcabin.com, and see! How wrong I was to have doubts! Our cabin's lack of mains electricity had become it's best asset. It seems many people feel our cabin is exactly what they're looking for - a 'back to nature' experience, but with home comforts, and, along with everyone's increasing awareness of ecology issues, we seemed to have touched a nerve.

The cabin was visited by a number of couples on their honeymoon and it occurred to me that there was a real need here for an eco-friendly, affordable honeymoon retreat. The cosy style, candlelight, wood burning stove and exclusive locations help to create the perfect romantic hideaway - and it's so in tune with the growing movement away from flashy expensive corporate weddings to something more personal and caring, in fact everything GreenUnion stands for. You can easily get here by train if you prefer not to fly and we've added in a few extra touches to make your honeymoon stay extra special, like delivery of fresh croissants to enjoy with my homemade jam every morning and use of the tandem bike - (this is so much fun and a test of your trust in each other - only one of you can brake and steer!!)

Two years on we've had many happy renters and that's why we decided to take the plunge and build covertcabin II.

First, we had to find another lake. This wasn't as easy as it sounds, because it had to have good access, running water (for electricity generating purposes) away from noisy roads, but not too far from town, (for cycling to the baker's for croissants purposes!) I won't go into the nightmare of French planning but suffice to say, it took time to find the right thing and in January this year we started to build Fisherman's Cabin.

Bob had made the oak frame from local timber as a kind of kit, and it went together like a dream with the aid of a rubber mallet and some wooden pegs, despite the rain, which started to fall almost as soon as Bob had unpacked his toolkit! Our construction coincided with a very wet springtime and at times it seemed like it would rain forever. At one stage we even thought about converting the design to more of an 'ark' shaped project! Ever the optimist, Bob pointed out that all this water was the very thing we needed to make our waterwheel turn like 'the clappers' and produce electricity!

Gradually the little cabin took shape and our thoughts turned to the interior and how to make it work. Much of the alternative energy gadgetry that you can buy online or in shops doesn't suit our needs - often it has to be adapted or made from scratch. Lots of internet research and head scratching overcame most problems, Bob does all the techy stuff - whenever there's a hitch I put the kettle on and pretend to understand -somehow I know he'll work it out! I help with all the interior stuff, painting and tiling, I'm in heaven rummaging around brocantes and junk shops and I do the upholstery and sewing.

When the sun finally did come out, sitting on our little deck oversailing the water, surrounded by the forest more than made up for being frequently soaked to the skin. The lake is often very placid and it's magical reflections change by the minute, sometimes I still have to pinch myself to remind myself we are the guardians of this beautiful place. Even watching the raindrops bounce on the lake is kind of mesmerising, and there's always something to see. Whether it's a kingfisher fly-past or dancing dragonflies it was easy to let time slip away, we must've had the prettiest building site on earth.

It's exciting to see it all come together and know we've done everything ourselves, and so satisfying when people like what we've done. In addition, this project has heightened our awareness of how much energy we waste at home, you learn just how much effort it takes to produce a kilowatt when you're off-grid and now we're planning to build our very own little eco-house soon.

We think Woodsman's cabin's exclusive setting and romantic, cosy style make it the perfect place for an eco-friendly honeymoon and Diane and Robert have put together some extras to make it even more special....

Covert Cabin's honeymoons include:
Champagne & fresh flowers on your arrival.
Dinner freshly cooked and delivered to the cabin on your first evening.
Breakfast of fresh bread, croissants & homemade jams delivered each morning.
Use of a tandem bike! Guaranteed to make you, & everyone else you see, smile!
Of course, you're free to do as much or as little as you like, but we'll be happy to organise trips out for you like canoeing, vineyards/wine tasting, picnics in secluded spots ... or just laze under the trees in the hammocks...
The choice is yours!
For more information on covertcabin's special honeymoon deals please visit their website